A Little RC History

In 1966, the first RC car became available to the public. The car was a nitro powered Ferrari 250LM made by Elettronica Giocattoli.

In 1967, RC cars started being produced commercially. The first to do it was a British company named Mardave.

1967 was also the year when companies like Model Car Enterprises, Dynamic Models, and Associated Electronics, began producing RC car kits.

In 1971, Team Associated released their first vehicle, a 1/8 scale nitro powered pan car called the RC1.

In 1974, electric RC cars began to emerge. Tamiya released a Porsche 934 Turbo in 1976, and Team Associated followed with another pan car in 1978.

In 1979 Tamiya introduced the first real off-road cars, the Rough Rider and the San Scorcher.

1979 was also when the “Golden Era” of RC started.

The 1980’s was a decade when many huge names in the RC industry emerged. These brands included names like Traxxas, Team Losi, and HPI Racing.

Many new cars emerged in the late 1980’s, and many championship races started to pop up around the globe.

The 1990’s and 2000’s took a turn from cars to monster trucks, rock crawlers, and short course racing trucks.

Still, to this day, the major companies are innovating and producing RC cars like never before.

The Major Brands Today

If you’re in the market for a new RC car and budget is of no concern to you, then look no further than these four brands.

Traxxas, Team Losi, HPI Racing, and Team Associated are the major players in the RC industry these days.

If you read the RC history before this, then you’ll see these four names mentioned.

Team Associated emerged in the 1960’s before the other three. They started off in the slot car industry but made a shift when RC cars began to take off.

The other three companies followed close behind in Team Associated’s footsteps. Traxxas, Losi, and HPI all emerged in the mid-1980’s.

While you can’t go wrong with any of the four companies, each one is known for something different.

Traxxas is known for being fun and innovative

Team Associated is known for their premium parts and excellent service

HPI Racing is known for their cool designs and reliability.

Team Losi is known for high performance and aftermarket parts.

Welcome to the World of RC

That was a brief but hopefully informative intro into the RC hobby.

RC is a great hobby but can get confusing quickly if you get into the nuts and bolts of it.

When you’re just starting out, it’s best to find a car that looks good to you and dive right in.

Most of the topics I just covered, I have written about in depth on this site. Feel free to click around and let me know if I missed anything that you want me to write about.

Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Cheers! -Mark

From the second I picked up my first remote control car as a little kid who could barely walk, to 30 years later, I have always enjoyed the thrill and entertainment of RC vehicles. I created RC Roundup to help you (Whether you are a beginner, novice, or advanced RC’r) find the perfect remote controlled vehicle and/or parts. Ready to go?